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Poland says it won’t lift its embargo on Ukraine grain because it would hurt its farmers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister says his government will not lift its embargo on imports of Ukrainian grain as scheduled Friday because it would hurt Polish farmers.“Poland will not allow Ukraine grain to flood us,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Tuesday on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.“Regardless of the decisions of the clerks in Brussels, we will not open up our borders,” Morawiecki said in the midst of intensive campaigning for Oct. 15 parliamentary elections. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, in agreement with the European Union, imposed an embargo on Ukrainian farm produce from April until Sept. 15 to prevent a glut in their home markets that would hurt their farmers. Only transit of sealed goods is allowed in an effort to help Ukraine send its produce overseas as Russia blocks its usual export routes. Morawiecki posted his comments shortly before the Cabinet was to discuss the matter. The European Parliament also is to debate t...

Analysis: Payton’s excoriation of his predecessor looks even worse after his bungled Broncos debut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

DENVER (AP) — If you’re going to excoriate your predecessor over the mess you were hired to clean up, it’s best to outperform the guy you replaced. Sean Payton didn’t deliver enough enhancements in his Denver debut Sunday to justify calling out Nathaniel Hackett like he did in the summer.During a passionate defense of quarterback Russell Wilson, who’s coming off the worst season of his career, Payton accused Hackett and his staff in Denver of doing “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” in 2022. The potshot would have hit different had it come during Payton’s time as a Fox football analyst during his year’s sabbatical from coaching. Hackett, now the Jets’ offensive coordinator, owned up to his failures as a first-time head coach in Denver but suggested Payton broke an unwritten code among coaches to not publicly criticize one another.Payton’s stinging critique of Hackett’s performance in a USA Today article is sure ...

AP PHOTOS: Blood, sweat and tears on the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup in France

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The dust has settled after the first set of games at the Rugby World Cup, which began with a stirring win for host France in front of nearly 79,000 people at the Stade de France, and ended with heartbreak for fan favorite Fiji as a dropped pass in the final seconds denied it a thrilling victory in Bordeaux.The eight matches on the opening weekend brought plenty of blood, sweat and tears.There were crunching tackles, as always. Teams needed additional water breaks and used ice packs to cool off in sweltering temperatures. And the emotion of the occasion was on show for many, like Chile’s players, some of whom had tears rolling down their cheeks as they sang their national anthem for the first time in their debut appearance at the Rugby World Cup.The French team lived up to all the pre-tournament hype by staring down New Zealand’s Kapa o Pango haka and then beating the three-time champions in an opening game that was billed as a blockbuster and didn’t disappoint.Underdog ...

A Red Cross and Red Crescent official says the number of missing people after deadly floods in Libya has reached 10,000

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — A Red Cross and Red Crescent official says the number of missing people after deadly floods in Libya has reached 10,000.Source

Un hombre entró en una oficina del FBI y admitió haber matado a una mujer hace más de cuatro décadas en Boston, dicen las autoridades

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

(CNN) — Las autoridades dicen que pudieron resolver un caso sin resolver en Boston de hace 44 años después de que un hombre de Oregón entró en una oficina del FBI y confesó haber matado y violado a una mujer en 1979.John Michael Irmer, de 68 años, fue procesado en un tribunal de Boston este lunes y acusado de asesinar a Susan Marcia Rose, de 24 años, el 30 de octubre de 1979, según un comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Fiscal de Distrito del Condado de Suffolk.En agosto, Irmer entró en una oficina del FBI en Portland, donde reveló a los agentes que conoció a una mujer pelirroja en una pista de patinaje de Boston en la época de Halloween de 1979 y la mató, dijo la oficina del fiscal del distrito.Irmer dijo que entraron al 285 de Beacon Street, un edificio en renovación en ese momento, agarró un martillo y golpeó a la mujer en la cabeza, matándola. Les dijo a los agentes del FBI que la violó después de su muerte, según el comunicado de prensa.Después de la admisión, las auto...

Pembroke Pines Police officer fires shots in response to suspect hurling butcher knives at law enforcement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

Pembroke Pines Police Department officers were met with a violent domestic disturbance after they responded to a 911 call that led to a man throwing multiple butcher knives at the responding officers. The tense standoff ensued after 6:30 p.m. Monday at the 100 block of South Hollybrook Drive. When authorities arrived, they encountered a man, later identified as 41-year-old Justin Brittain, and another person involved in a dispute. The situation escalated when the suspect brandished multiple butcher knives and hurled them toward the direction of the officers. After one of the knives struck a police officer, another officer was left with no choice but to respond with the use of lethal force. The officer discharged their weapon, firing at the suspect in an effort to neutralize the immediate threat. After the shots were fired, the suspect was taken into custody. Immediate medical attention was provided to the wounded officer at the scene, who is reported to be in stable condition. The s...

See you later, alligator: New Jersey police capture reptile on the loose for 2 weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

(CNN) — New Jersey law enforcement and wildlife officials teamed up as alligator investigators to capture a reptile running rampant across two towns over the last two weeks.The Middlesex Borough Police Department chronicled the missing gator saga on its Facebook page.The alligator, described as a “non-indigenous reptile” between 3 and 4 feet long, was first spotted in the Ambrose Brook at Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex County on August 23, according to the Middlesex Borough Police Department.Middlesex County is located about 38 miles southwest of New York City.The initial sighting prompted the closure of the park, which has since reopened to the public with no fishing or swimming allowed, Middlesex Borough police said in a statement Friday.The police department, along with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Police and several other agencies searched for the alligator until...

A hiker in Alaska was in distress. A webcam used to livestream bears led to his rescue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

(CNN) — A hiker struggling in brutal weather in an Alaska national park was rescued after being spotted asking for help on a webcam used to livestream bears, Explore.org said in a new release.The sighting of the hiker on Dumpling Mountain in Katmai National Park and Preserve was reported last week by users of the philanthropic group’s website who were watching video from the wildlife camera. They notified site moderators after a “person looked into the camera lens and gave a thumbs down signal,” Explore.org said in a news release. “A few minutes later, the person returned to the camera and audibly asked for help,” the news release said.The organization’s staff alerted park rangers, who sent out a search and rescue team, the National Park Service said in a news release. The hiker “was caught in windy and rainy conditions with poor visibility,” the park service said. “Park rangers found the hiker a few hours later, unharmed, and brought the hiker back to safety,” according t...

EU Parliament backs new innovation commissioner Iliana Ivanova

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

The European Parliament’s plenary meeting has given its approval for the European Commission to appoint Bulgarian economist Iliana Ivanova as the new EU innovation and culture commissioner. EU lawmakers voted to support Ivanova’s candidacy, with 522 votes in favor, 51 abstentions and 27 votes against. The approval comes as no surprise: Ivanova didn’t get into trouble during her hearing in front of a select group of lawmakers from the industry and culture committees last week, after which lead members “unanimously agreed” that Ivanova is qualified for the job. The Parliament’s powerful Conference of Presidents subsequently closed the hearing process and put the nomination up for a vote in the plenary. Ivanova, who was present during the vote in Strasbourg, thanked lawmakers for their trust.In the appointment of a new European Commissioner, the bloc’s Parliament only has a consultative role. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will consi...

Poland won’t reopen its border to Ukrainian grain imports, PM says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:56:30 GMT

Poland will not reopen its border to Ukrainian grain imports regardless of what the European Commission decides this week, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Tuesday.Imports of Ukrainian grain, including wheat and maize, are currently banned from the territory of five eastern EU countries — including Poland, Hungary and Romania — under a deal struck with Brussels earlier this year. Only transit to other destinations is allowed. The restrictions expire on Friday and the Commission has yet to decide whether to let them lapse or extend them.“Poland will not allow Ukrainian grain to flood us. Whatever the decision of Brussels officials, we will not open our borders,” Morawiecki said in a message on the X platform, formerly Twitter.The move would violate the bloc’s common trade rules and is not the first time Morawiecki has threatened to do so. The issue of cheaper Ukrainian products flooding the Polish market as a result of Russia’s war of aggression has proved divisive ...